Dance Night Or Dance Fright?
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: When Jane can't make it to the Starlight Dance, Carlos is left with no date. So, Julie Skellington finds a replacement date for Carlos...with scary results.


**This story is a tribute to Cameron Boyce, a talented young actor who created a proud legacy that will live on and inspire many people. May he rest in peace knowing how so many people loved and admired him for being the wonderful, genuine person he is.**

** Please enjoy this story in his honor.**

* * *

At Auradon Prep, Carlos De Vil left his dorm room. He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his white and black hair. Tonight was the Starlight Dance and he was going to take Jane to one of the most memorable dances of the year.

"So, tonight's the dance, man?" a voice asked.

Carlos looked down and saw Dude the dog. Thanks to a magic gummi created by Mal, Dude wqs able to talk like a person. And he loved to talk.

"Thanks for reminding me." Carlos droned as he walked with Dude.

The dog was caught off guard by the young man's sad demeanor. "Hey, why so glum, man? You've been eating out of the wrong bowl?" Dude joked.

Carlos sighed. "Jane said she can't make it to the dance"

"What?! Why?!" asked Dude. "I thought you guys were looking forward to that."

"Yeah, but she said she had an emergency and left town!" Carlos rolled his eyes. "Sounds like an excuse to me. Maybe she found a new boyfriend. A much cooler, better looking boyfriend."

"No way! Jane would never do that!" Dude rebuffed.

"Hey, Carlos!"

Carlos looked over his shoulder and let out a scream. Walking toward him was Julie Skellington, daughter of Jack Skellington. "Hey, Carlos!"

"Uh, hey, Julie." said Carlos. "What are you doing here?"

"Thanks to Ben, I got an invitation to the dance tonight and I'm so excited!" Julie blinked her eye sockets. "So...how do school dances go? I've always been haunted home schooled."

"Well, normally people bring dates to dances. Jane and I were suppose to go together, but she bailed on me and couldn't tell me why!" Carlos heaved a sigh. "I guess I'll have to go stag." He got up to leave.

Julie saw how sad her friend was. "Gee, I wish there was something I can do to really help Carlos."

* * *

That night, Carlos was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in deep depression. The dance was going to start.

"Come on, Carlos! You got to go to the dance!" said Dude. "You were looking forward to it for weeks!"

"No, I was so looking forward to spending it with Jane!" Carlos retorted.

"That still doesn't mean you can't go anyway!" Dude said right back.

Before the argument could escalate, furious knocking came to the door. Startled, Carlos went to answer it. It was Jay and Lonnie.

"Carlos! You have to get out of here before it's too late!" Jay said. Carlos saw the panic in his friend's eyes.

"Whoa, whoa! What's going on?!" asked Carlos.

"It's Julie!" said Lonnie. "She heard you didn't have a date to the dance so she-"

Carlos! There you are!" said Julie's voice. Carlos looked down the hall and screamed. It was Julie, dressed in a cocktail dress that was a black corset with a sweetheart neckline with a red tulle skirt decorated with elegant black lace.

But that's not why Carlos screamed.

Shambling alongside Julie was a zombie who appeared to be a young lady in her teens. Her flesh was grey and molting. She had a mess of dirt-clotted hair held up in a bun and wore a ratty black ball gown and dirty white dress shoes.

Julie strolled casually as the zombie dragged herself beside her. "Carlos, this is Claire."

Carlos had his mouth hanging open. Should he scream and run? This zombie didn't look like it wanted to eat Carlos or his brain.

"Carlos?" Julie tried to get the young human's attention.

"Uh, Julie." Carlos finally found his voice. "Why did you bring a zombie here?"

"Well, you were so sad that you didn't have a date to the dance. So I dug up a date for you!"

Claire groaned. Saliva oozed down her chin.

Jay, Lonnie, and Carlos were silent.

"So, what do you think?" Julie asked, very excited and hopeful.

"I...don't know what to say." Carlos responded.

Julie waved her hand. "You don't have to say anything. I'm just happy to help! Well, I better meet up with my date too."

"You brought a date?" Lonnie inquired.

Several screams echoed through the halls. A group of teenage girls came running down the hallway and almost plowed through Carlos, Jay, and Lonnie. Fortunately, Julie and Claire knew exactly when to steer clear when terrified people are coming through.

"A GHOST!" a girl's voice screeched. A blur of blue rushed past Carlos. He was able to catch a glimpse of a girl wearing a powder blue dress and a baseball cap on her head. When Carlos saw her face, Carlos gasped.

"Jane?!' Carlos breathed.

"Oops! Sorry!" A young male's voice was heard.

Julie sighed.

Carlos, Jay, and Lonnie took steps back when the ghost a young man floated toward them. He was completely light blue and transparent. He had short, wild hair with a bandana over his forehead. He had a strong, proud face and kind eyes.

The ghost boy seemed to have trouble floating as he smiled and gave the stunned humans a friendly wave.

"Guys, this is Seth." Julie introduced. "He's my new friend."

"Nice to meet you." Seth said politely. "Sorry about the panic back there. I'm still getting used to my powers."

The humans couldn't believe this. First, a zombie girl and now a ghost boy?!

"Your date is a ghost?!" Lonnie said after overcoming her shock.

Julie nodded. "Yep!"

"Guys! I think one of those girls was Jane!" Carlos said.

"Jane?!" said Jay.

"Yes, Jane!" Carlos shot back. "She's still here! She didn't leave town at all!"

"What?! You mean she...lied?!" Lonnie said, bewildered. "But why?!"

"You mean I dug up a date for nothing?!" Julie was aghast. Claire's jaw literally fell to the floor.

"Okay, something's definitely wrong here!" Lonnie said. "And we're getting to the bottom of it!"

* * *

In the forest, Jane ran all the way from Auradon Prep until she collapsed in the middle of the woods. She gasped for much needed air, her knees too tired to run anymore. Her baseball cap slipped off her head. "Was...was I seeing things?!" Jane said to herself.

Suddenly, a voice reached her ears.

"Look! There she is!"

Jane gasped. She grabbed her hat and quickly put it back on. She managed to stand and looked around, but no one seemed to be there.

"Jane!" It was Carlos. His voice sounded like it came from...the sky?

Turning around, Jane gasped as she saw Carlos, Dude, Jay, Lonnie, and Julie riding on magic broomsticks.

"I knew these babies would come in handy." Julie said to herself as she got off her broom.

Jane tried to run away, but Seth came up through the ground and blocked her way. Screaming, Jane tried to run the other away, but stopped and screamed even more when Claire came shambling toward the terrified girl with her spindly arms stretched out. Grisly moans came from deep within her.

Jane tried to find another way to run, but Julie blocked her escape. "Nowhere to run now, Jane." Julie glared sharply at the human. "I think you better explain yourself."

"Jane," Carlos approached his girlfriend. "Why did you lie to me? You said there was an emergency and you had to leave town and yet here you are!"

Julie saw the look on Jane's face. It was full of regret. And Jane felt lower than a ten foot grave.

"Are you seeing someone else?!" Carlos interrogated, the anger in his voice elevated.

"What?! NO!" Jane replied. She sighed in defeat. "Just don't laugh, okay?" She took a deep breath. "The salon was packed today and I really wanted to get my hair done! So I...y'know...bibbidied my hair." She wiggled her fingertips for dramatic effect.

"You used magic?!" Lonnie nearly shouted.

"I didn't know you could even do magic!" said Carlos.

"Well, I can. And now, this happened!" Jane took off her cap and threw it to the ground. Everyone gasped.

Jane's hair was no longer brown, wavy and long. It was a shattered pixie cut that was colored powered blue and drizzled with glitter.

"Now you see why I was ducking you, Carlos?! You don't want to be seen at the dance with your date looking like this!" Jane buried her face in her hands.

"But I think you look great." Carlos said.

Jane lifted her head. "What?!"

"You're just saying that!" said Jane.

Carlos shook his head. "No, I'm not. I really mean it. I mean, sure, it's different. But I still like it."

"Yeah, I like it too!" Julie said.

"Me too!" saie Lonnie. She turned to Jay for his approval.

Jay just shrugged. "Don't look at me. I can't even manage my own hair." He smiled. "But seriously, you look great, Jane. Perfect for the Starlight Dance."

Jane was completely flabbergasted. "Really?!"

"Yeah, and I'd still go out with you no matter what you look like, Jane." said Carlos. "Because you're my girl."

Jane's hands flew to her face. She felt her cheeks burn from blushing. "I-I am?!"

True beauty comes from within. And Jane, you're pretty when being true to yourself."

"Really? Even if I mess up?"

"Everyone makes mistakes, Jane. Even me. But we learn from them and become better." said Carlos. He smiled and put his arms around his lady.

Jane hugged her boyfriend back. A tear of happiness rolled down her chin. "Thank you."

"Now, what do you say we get back to that dance and have some fun?" Carlos suggested.

Jane hugged Carlos tighter. "I'd love too!"

* * *

At the Starlight Dance, the gym ceiling was decorated with sparkly drapes and star decorations. Mal and Ben held hands as they saw many party-goers. Evie and Doug approached the royal couple. "Guys! Have you seen Carlos and Jay?!" asked Evie. "They're not answering my texts!"

"Don't worry, E. They're probably just running late." said Mal. "I hope..."

Ben looked around. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Julie either. I thought for sure she would be here by now."

Mal and Evie gasped

"Wait, Julie?! As in, 'Julie Skellington?!' _That_ Julie?!" said Mal.

Doug turned white as a sheet. "Dude! I thought you were just kidding when you said you were going to invite her to the dance!"

"You invited a skeleton girl to a dance?!" Mal blurted to her boyfriend.

"Mal! It's okay! Julie told me she has never been to a school dance before so I invited her over!" Ben said, trying to calm his friends down. "I wouldn't worry. It's just Julie. It won't be so-"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Several terrified screams were heard. Ben, Mal, Evie, and Doug saw Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, and Julie...along with Seth and Claire! Claire lurched toward a group of boys. They took one look at her and let out screams of terror before running away. Seth waved to a group of girls, some screamed and a couple of them fainted.

Mal turned to Ben. "Wouldn't worry, huh?"

Ben moved his mouth, but he couldn't get any words out.

"Hey, Ben!" Julie greeted with her trademark friendly voice. "I brought some friends over. This is my date Seth and Claire! I brought her as a backup date for Carlos, but it turns out he and Jane are going out together after all!"

Seth waved to Ben. "'Sup! Thanks for having us over!"

Claire moaned something to Ben. Then she grinned the few teeth she had in her mouth and gave the young king a thumbs up.

Ben was almost too scared to speak. A ghost and a zombie were standing right in front of him. But as terrified as he was, he still remembered his manners. "N-Nice to meet you." he murmured. He offered his hand to Seth. Seth smiled and swept his hand right through Ben's. To Ben, it felt like an icy cold wind rushed through his hand.

"Sorry we're late, guys!" said Carlos. "I had to pick up my girl."

Jane smiled and waved to Mal and Evie. The girls were breathless when they laid eyes on Jane.

"Jane! Your hair!" Evie gasped. "It's gorgeous! I love the glitter!"

Even Mal was impressed. "Spicing things up, huh? I like it!" She nodded with approval.

Jane felt like she was floating off the floor. Guess she didn't have to worry about her hair after all. She felt Carlos take her hand. "So, will the queen of my heart care to dance?"

"Yes!" Jane squealed before clearing her throat. "I-I mean, sure. Okay."

Right on cue, the DJ began to play a slow song. Carlos and Jane waltzed beneath the twinkling lights. Time stood still as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I can't believe I almost missed out on all of this." Jane admitted.

"Yeah, guess it was a blessing in disguise that Julie and her date came along." said Carlos. "If it weren't for Seth scaring you out of hiding, we never would have our starlit dance."

Jane chuckled. "Yeah, it's not everyday you see a ghost floating around in the girl's bathroom."

Carlos let out a laugh. "I wouldn't be able to bathroom after that!" The couple laughed together as they continued to dance.

After the dance, the couple ventured outside for some fresh air. They looked up at the night sky to see the real stars.

"Carlos," said Jane.

"Hm?"

Jane leaned against her man. "I never thought someone like me could experience such a magical night."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was always Plain Jane. I always thought nothing cool or exciting would ever happen to me. In fact, I felt the same about Auradon. Nothing exciting, unique, or amazing ever happens. But when you guys came to Auradon, that all changed. This day started out as a bad hair day to partying Halloween monsters to one of the best nights of my life." Jane smiled, her eyes twinkled. "It's been a real roller coaster of emotions. But a good one. You VKs really bring out the excitement in everything."

Carlos shrugged a little. "I guess we do. But don't forget, Jane, Auradon saved us from ourselves." He looked off in the distance, thinking about the Isle of the Lost. "On the Isle, everyday was a struggle. We had to lie, cheat steal, and bully others just to survive. We even had to let ourselves be emotionally abused by our parents if we wanted to have a roof over our heads."

Hearing Carlos's words, Jane was more shocked than seeing Seth in the girl's bathroom.

"There were never any opportunities for a better life on the Isle. But here in Auradon, we do. We came from the Isle of the Lost, those are our roots and made us who we are. But Auradon helped us become our own people and not like our parents. And I thank goodness for that."

Jane gave Carlos a sweet, passionate kiss on the cheek.

The unexpected kiss caught the VK completely off guard. He immediately turned to Jane, who was smiling. "I'm glad our home was able to help you guys after all."

Looking into Jane's beautiful blue eyes, Carlos smiled and put his arm around his girl. They looked upon the glorious stars in the night sky.

The sky was limitless. Nothing held back.

And Carlos knew he and his friends were limitless too. In their new home of Auradon, anything is possible.

Carlos was proud of the legacy he created. He may have lived under a cold, iron fist from his mother, but he was able to become greater than what he suffered and become a better man. He'll always be proud of who he is and the people who matter most will always know how special he is.

* * *

**In honor of Cameron Boyce.**

**May 28, 1999 – July 6, 2019**


End file.
